[Shep]

The December 2002 issue of Motor Trend (US) http://www.motortrend.com/toc/ has a nice cover story headlined "Cool! Be smart, save money, have fun. The fast and the funkiest". It compares the Cooper S, New Beetle Turbo S, and Pontiac Vibe GT.

Bottom line: "With all the fun said and done, the Mini is our pick of this litter".

Out-of-the-ordinary excerpts:

• "Many a child has scribbled an image of a car that looked like a shoebox suspended between four wheels. The Mini Cooper takes that idea and puts it on the road in a most endearing manner."

• A full-page analysis is given of the power curves of each car's engine, showing the smoothness of the Cooper S. "Here's an eminently useable powerband, no acceleration lumps or hollows, and with virtually instant-on power delivery when you pop open the throttle."

[ezrally]

Too bad they compare/lump the S in w a Vibe and Beetle as "fun & funky" cars...